The Benin city raised rapper who has shared stage with the likes of MI and Jesse Jagz seeks for more collaboration between rappers.
KOD (Kenile Ogoh David) is a Nigerian rapper, born and raised in Benin-City, Edo State.
Growing up around uncles who played Hip hop a lot, he got naturally influenced. He officially decided to follow his dreams as a rapper at age 13 and began to put down verses together. Also around that time, he caught the attention of indie label VIBE MUSIC FACTORY (VMF). In 2014, when he was 17, he was fully absorbed in the VMF label on a management agreement. On November 22, 2014, he released his first single under the imprint titled ‘Hiphop hurray’.
In this interview with Pulse Music, KOD shares his passion for the art and his dream to make it big doing what he loves.
Did you grow up in a Hip-Hop community which got to influence your talent/skill as a rapper?
I grew up in Benin-City and the city has a deep-rooted hip-hop culture. However, most of my early introduction and influence to hip-hop came from growing up around my uncles who lived with us at some point. They played a lot of hip-hop music and that just exposed me to what it sounded like. As I grew older, and the interest to do music sprung up, I began to do researches on the history of the genre and learn skills how to better myself and of course, understand what the genre fully entails.
Who are your favourite Hip-Hop acts that have inspired you?
There are a lot but one person stands out and that’s Kanye West. Kanye to me defines what a musical genius is.
What would you say makes you stand out as a rapper?
When I make music, I try to put in everyday personal/life experiences and perspective into the music; whether they are good or bad. Most artistes that we know just go with norm and make music that's trending. Let's not mistake that for evolving. Artistes should evolve but stay true to the essence of their art. So for me, whether through the terrible or the happiest moments, I want to have people know that they aren't alone in their thoughts, I just choose to speak out through music.
How would you gauge the reception of your “KEEN ODE DELIVERY” 2015 debut album?
The album had a positive reception from the media and the general public. I and my management at that time had certain criteria we used to measure the success of the album and I can boldly say we achieved that and more. It really brought my name out to my city perhaps maybe because nobody that young was doing music that good [laughs].
It was the first time I really experimented with my talent and I won the award for the 'Best New Artiste' at the South South Music Award (SSMA 2015). My appreciation goes to all who contributed to making the album a success.
According to veteran rapper Terry Tha Rapman (TR), Hip-Hop is dead in Nigeria, do you agree with him on any level?
All respect to Lord T.R any day any time, but I'd have to disagree with that insinuation. There are lot of talented Hip Hop artistes who are incorporating Afro-indigenous sounds to their music, and they still deliver good bars. I could name a few lol...hmm Boogey, Poe, Falz, Ycee, SDC, Mojeed, AQ. I can go on. I even know a lot of guys underground who spit fire!
The Nigerian media is just drawn mainly to the pop or 'Afrobeats' sound which prompts most rappers wanting to try and be extra creative by incorporating these sound into their art. For those that have managed to do that properly, I think they should be commended.
What do you think can be done to make Hip-Hop and rap culture more appealing to aspiring youths and the society?
There is a lot which should happen in stages from. But the present A-listers have to be creative to make the genre attractive to the big brands out there.
They should take the lead by reaching out to their home communities or hood through mentorship talks, proper Hip-hop concerts with standard productions, exhibitions/fairs where artiste memorabilia and merchandises can be bought. Then the media should help to really amplify these activities.
If we can start with that, it will go a long way. Collaborations also will help. Collaborations rarely happen between rappers. It's usually between rappers and Afropop artistes. You also don’t even want to know how unnecessarily difficult is it to score a collaboration between a major artiste. I even had like two major artistes sly me while I was making my album after so much promises and follow up but that's a story for another day. They are just so much ways and I hope we begin to see improvements soon.
What project(s) are you currently working on now?
I'd say that I'm still at the discovery stage as an artiste, I'm turning 20 in April but then, I look forward to having more materials out soon as I continue experimenting and putting out good music for people to vibe to. So even though I have a busy schedule with school, I want to and I hope I can release 2 short EPs this year, maybe a lead single for my next album and hopefully collaborations with other artistes to grow my discography.
How is a recording day in the life of KOD like?
Recording different songs come with different vibe, depending on the subject I plan to record about. But then, I like being interactive with whoever I'm working with or with the team during studio sessions so we can get the best results.
Whoever is not part of the session, I usually don't like them around because they could distract me. I also dislike listening to the song over and over again especially during mixing so I just run off when I'm done and let the engineers do their thing... lol
Tell us your current 5 favourite rappers excluding yourself.
To be fair, I'd do a list containing 3 foreign artistes and 2 Nigerian. In no particular order: 2Pac, Kanye West, J Cole, MI & Falz
Which Nigerian MC would you love to battle in a freestyle?
None! I am actually not a fan of ‘battle rap’... sorry. Don’t get me wrong thought, I could get into it if the purpose is to collaborate with fellow rappers or we just vibing. I see it as just a 'lyrical exercise'. All of that battle energy can be put into making a song that can impact lives and make money.
Where do you see music taking you in another three to five years from now?
In 5 years, I can be one of the best to ever do it. Achieving that comes with hard work and of course strategy. So, I'll keep working on my art and wish for the best. The dream is to have more fans appreciate the art and also pay for it.
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